International
Mission Impossible grosses $68.2 million in 1st weekend
MUMBAI: The Tom Cruise-starrer Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol grossed an estimated $68.2 million.
The fourth entry in the action franchise played in 6,079 sites in 36 markets. South Korea led a string of number one debuts on $11.1m from 948 venues over four days, followed by Japan on $9m from 343 over three and Russia on $6.1m from 680.
Ghost Protocol scored the biggest launch in history on the UAE on $2.4mn from 27 sites. It launched on $5.2m in France from 616 and topped the charts in Australia on $4.2m from 240. The combined Middle Eastern total amounts to $3.5m for the biggest opening weekend for any film in the region.
DreamWorks Animation‘s Puss In Boots took another giant stride towards the $200m mark as $30.4m through PPI from 6,054 sites propelled the running total to $188.2m. The film opened in Italy on $3.3m from 385, while Germany led holdover business with $4.9m from 693 for $13m.
In the third weekend in France $3.7m from 1,049 pushed the tally to $19.4m. Puss In Boots stands at $12.2m in Brazil and has reached $10.3m in Mexico after three, $7.7m in Australia and $6.6m in the UK and an excellent $4.7m in Argentina, all after two.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows launched in six markets through Warner Bros Pictures international and generated $14.7m from 2,113 screens. The UK led the way with a $5.8m number one debut from 1,040 followed by Italy on an outstanding $5m number one from 575.
Fox International reported that Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked launched in 38 markets day-and-date with North America to bring in $14.5m from 3,815 screens. Only six of the markets were top 16 markets and these included $4m from the UK from 756 screens for number two and $1.6m from 1,022 in Mexico for number one. The Spanish debut delivered a $1.5m number two finish from 364.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
